Wolff surprised that Hamilton has a chance: 'Nobody expected this'.
Mercedes
F1 News
- GPblog.com
There are only two races to go, but the title fight is still in full swing and Toto Wolff is very happy about that. He tells the Austrian newspaper Österreich that he is especially happy that Max Verstappen hasn't won the world championship yet, because the lion named Lewis Hamilton just woke up.
The Mercedes team boss admits he left Qatar with a bittersweet feeling, mainly due to Valtteri Bottas ' puncture during the race. The Austrian is happy that Verstappen is not yet world champion and that the lead in the constructors' championship is still there. In Qatar they were very fast and that gives the British racing team a lot of confidence. "Hardly anyone expected a few races ago that we could hold on for so long. Everything that comes now comes on top. And we try to enjoy every minute of it."
The lion has awoken
For Hamilton, things are getting more and more exciting as he might just take that eighth title after all. The victory in Qatar showed the battle is far from over. Wolff said the Briton was very relaxed, but that the disqualification in Brazil also meant the lion had really woken up. "The lion showed itself in Qatar. Lewis controlled the pace. He didn't make any mistakes."
The eight-point difference between the seven-time world champion and the Dutchman shows that anything can still happen. "We are behind and were much further behind. If we win this yet, it would be incredible. And if we lose, then the others deserved to win. Then we look to next year."